


Pay No Attention

by Tsuneyoki



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuneyoki/pseuds/Tsuneyoki
Kudos: 14





	1. I Have No Name, I Am But Two Days Old

Jaune was… A dreamer of sorts.

Jaune has always had the dream of becoming a Huntsman, a hero, just like his ancestors, including his great-great grandfather who fought in the war. Just like his father was.

Jaune was a nerd. A dork, someone whose parents fought so hard to avoid him becoming a Huntsman that Jaune wound up reaching seventeen, the age to apply to Beacon, without any of the credentials needed.

Or the training.

Or anything else that he would need to apply.

He even tried contacting Signal once a few months ago, but he was rejected due to being too old to enter a classroom. He said he understood before hanging up. Understanding didn’t help much when he cried himself to sleep that night, but at least they tried to be gentle when delivering the bad news.

Maybe Fate was toying with him. All the lost time he could have used improving himself… So many regrets. Yet he knew all he needed was a chance. If he could enter Beacon he would work himself to the bone, twice -- no, thrice-- as hard as the hardest worker there, to make up for all the lost time.

All he needed was a chance.

And seemingly Fate wanted to grant him one.

\\-\

“This is Lisa Lavender, reporting for the Vale News Network.” The woman in the screen said in a calm and professional tone. “Tonight, Beacon Academy reported the passing of Headmaster Ozpin, the youngest Huntsman to become a headmaster in history. We at VNN express our deepest condolences towards the loss of a great huntsman tonight.” A brief pause. “The Vale Council agreed that the Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch is to assume the position left open by Professor Ozpin’s unfortunate passing. More updates are to be expected tomorr--”

She was cut mid-sentence when Jaune Arc sighed and turned his scroll off. He got up from the small couch on the small flat he rented just for a couple days, enough time for him to get some real transcripts (but not real-real, just… Real enough to assure him a spot), and left the small living room, entering the bathroom and turning the lights on.

He sighed as he looked into the mirror.

His reflection seemed abnormally tired, with bags under his eyes and his hair even messier than normal.

Jaune didn’t know the first thing of how things should be done. He didn’t have a plan. He just… Was there. Jaune thought that just stealing Crocea Mors and taking the first Bullhead that went to Vale was going to be enough to cut it. That he would then magically be able to enter Beacon and become the hero he always wanted to be. The hero that every man in the Arc family was… Even his father was a Huntsman. It was almost a family tradition…

One that would seemingly end with his father, Jacques.

But Jaune couldn’t allow that. He couldn’t let the chance slip by. He would work harder than anyone else and would show that he was worthy of entering Beacon. All he needed was a chance. Just one chance…

**“Good evening.”**

He let out a manly scream that completely did not sound like a girl squeal.

“I’m… Is this tiredness…?” He asked to himself. He could swear he heard a voice inside his head. It wasn’t nothing, probably. Most likely he was just tired or just heard one of his neighbors…

**“I’m afraid you are wrong on that front, Jaune. You’re not hearing things nor was that your neighbors. I’m, as you would say, literally inside your head.”**

“Okay…” Jaune gulped. “I’m won’t freak out, I won’t freak out… H-holy shit I’m freaking out!” Jaune said while his hands started trembling a bit.

 **“Jaune, please. I need you to hear me.”** The voice said. **“Right now, we have enemies. Enemies willing to find and do unspeakable things to you. And I need you to cooperate with me.”**

Oh great. Not only he had voices on his head, but they were also paranoid. Jaune sighed as he washed his face, trying to convince himself that the voice would just go away like that.

 **“I’ve been in your place before”** The voice replied. **“I know how you feel. The fear. The confusion. But I assure you. The dangers we must face are very real, Jaune, and I need your help.”**

“And now you can read my thoughts too?!” Jaune protested, powerlessly, rubbing his head with his hands.

 **“Technically, they are our thoughts now. Our souls, our auras, have merged together and now, we are one and the same.”** The voice replied. As if Jaune would believe this sort of crazy talk. It was sheer madness!

**“I assure you, Jaune, this isn’t madness. You are complete and perfectly sane.”**

“I’m talking to a voice in my head!” He scolded. “How does that make me normal?!”

 **“I said you’re sane, not normal.”** The voice replied. **“You’re special, Jaune.”**

“My mother said that to me all the time when I was a kid…” Jaune said with sarcasm. “Specially whenever I got beaten at school.”

**“And she’s not wrong per se, but your specialness derives from a different angle compared to the one she was aiming for.”**

“Wow. I feel so special now.” Jaune rolled his eyes while groaning.

**“Sarcasm doesn’t fit you, Jaune.”**

“Talking to a voice inside my head doesn’t either!” Jaune lashed out. “Who the fuck are you?!”

 **“Oh, my apologies. In my haste I forgot to introduce myself.”** The voice said and Jaune could somewhat imagine someone straightening themselves. The mental image was surprisingly clear for him for some reason.

**“Good evening, Jaune Arc. I’m professor Ozpin of Beacon and I need your help in my quest to vanquish the forces of evil from the face of Remnant.”**

Jaune groaned.

\\-\

“This is madness!” Jaune yelled. “Madness! So you’re telling me I have a centuries old wizard inside my head that also happened to be the headmaster of Beacon that is also an immortal soul-hopper and now I’m your next meat bag?!”

 **“Those terms are harsh, Jaune.”** Ozpin replied. **“But you still do not believe me. It’s understandable. I went through the same things. However it is imperative for us to start your training and get you into Beacon as soon as possible.”**

The last phrase caught Jaune’s interest.

“I see your desire to enter Beacon, Jaune. And your will to fight is also admirable as well. In fact, I believe that… Well, we might reach an agreement of sorts.”

“W-which agreement?” Jaune asked, trying to sound indifferent. He was willing to do anything, to go any lenghts to enter Beacon. If helping a disembodied voice that claimed to be Professor Ozpin’s was going to do the trick… So be it.

**“First, I need you to send a message to someone. I’ll give you her contact information. And for the message itself…”**

\\-\

Glynda Goodwitch really needed a good night sleep.

The Council of Vale was shaken with Ozpin’s death. And by “shaken”, read “willing to throw anyone under the bus as long as their positions can be kept”. No wonder Ozpin hated dealing with them. And now she had to deal with them because she’s the new headmistress… Glorious. She sighed heavily as she entered her lodge inside Beacon: a small apartment of sorts, with a small living room with a couch, a rug, a table, and a bookcase; to her right, a door that led to the kitchenette and to her left a small corridor with a door that led to her bedroom.

Glynda was snapped out of her thoughts when her Scroll blarred, informing her of a videocall. She raised an eyebrow. Who could it be? There wasn’t many people that knew her personal number, normally reserved to the members of Ozpin’s group, her family and a couple intimate friends. Her thoughts went to Ironwood. COuld the Headmaster of Atlas already be wanting to discuss the retrieval of Ozpin’s new body? Or was it Qrow?

Her mind dismissed that train of thought as pointless. The only way to know was to answer. So she took her scroll and pressed the button, which prompted the appearance of an unfamiliar face. Blonde, messy hair, blue eyes and a face that informed that he was on his late teens.

 _“H-hi!”_ He said, gulping due to his nervousness. _“Are you headmistress Glynda?”_

She almost rolled her eyes. It was said in the news not forty minutes ago! Sincerely where was this boy from?

“Yes I am.” Glynda replied fixing the position of her glasses. “And you are…?”

 _“Jaune… Jaune Arc.”_ The name made Glynda remember someone she met some time ago but whose name eluded her... A relative, perhaps? Her mind dismissed the thought as pointless while her green eyes focused into the screen and the image of the scraggly teen in front of her.

“And what would you like, Mr. Arc?”

He took a deep sigh.

_“I… I’d like you to return my cane, if possible.”_

\\-\

When the call was over, Jaune felt a complex mix of feelings that he couldn’t properly wrap his head around.

He was going to Beacon. He was going to become a Huntsman.

He was going to be a hero!

 **“Jaune.”** Ozpin called. **“While I understand your joy, we must leave as soon as possible. Now that we are… Together, in a sense, there is no safe haven for us save for Beacon.”**

“Uhm…” Jaune gulped. “Are… Are you sure that we can just waltz in? It isn’t the start of the semester yet and people may ask questions…”

**“Glynda is now fully aware of our situation. Plus, we must start your training as soon as possible. You’ll need it to survive the Initiation. And Beacon may serve as a temporary residence for tired or wounded huntsmen without a place to stay. No wonder it’s way bigger than what it should have any right to be.”**

Huh. That made sense.

 **“And we got another thing to use in our favor.”** Ozpin added. **“Glynda can say she wanted to personally interview you after seeing your transcripts and she wanted to make sure you are the man they painted you to be.”**

“Except I’m not.” Jaune hissed. “I’m someone else… Or rather, something else.”

 **“Jaune. We are someone else.”** Ozpin said. **“As I said, we are one and the same. Eventually, we will completely merge together as one. But our top priority is to train your body. My muscle memory and overall skill are more than enough to engage against most opponents, however your levels of endurance, stamina and overall resistance to trauma are… lacking.”**

“Gee thanks, sorry my body wasn’t ready to host you.”

**“I believe I said sarcasm does not fit you, Jaune.”**

Jaune rolled his eyes.

\\-\

The next day, the Bullhead trip was awkward, to say the least. Ozpin wasn’t… Acquainted with Jaune’s motion sickness, which came as a surprise to the ex-headmaster after Jaune vomited the entire content of their breakfast into the nearest garbage can he could find.

“MBRLLLLL!”

 **“Try breathing in, Jaune.”** Ozpin recommended. **“Breathe deep and slowly. It’ll help calm your stomach down.”**

“Mrbl.” Was the sound Jaune uttered in response.

“We’ll be getting in Beacon in a couple minutes, ma’am”. The pilot said. “Just… Just, uh, try to stay calm, okay?”

“I feel terrible…”

**“Bear with it, Jaune. It’ll be over soon.”**

“Easy for you to say…” Jaune replied. “My stomach feels like it grew legs and now is squatting inside me…”

“Are… Are you alright sir?” The pilot asked. “If you want we can stop for a couple minutes and then you can breathe a little… Is this okay?”

“N-no…” Jaune answered. “I… I’ll be better as soon as we get to Beacon…”

“Okay sir, as you wish...” The man shrugged and decided to just trust Jaune’s words as the flight continued.

\\-\

It didn’t take too long for the Bullhead to land. Yes! Land! Oh glorious firm land that didn’t make strange moves all of a sudden, how had Jaune missed thee!

The fact that he was now stepping on land was such a good signal that Jaune didn’t even vomit after leaving the Bullhead!

That or he had already threw up everything on his stomach. Regardless, Jaune felt overjoyed when he saw the familiar castle-like structure that was the Beacon Academy.

Wait, familiar? Was that a… Wait, how was it called… A déjà vu?

 **“Yes.”** Ozpin responded. **“Our memories are bleeding into one another, uniting themselves as we slowly become one. You must have recognized Beacon from my memories, making you feel as if you are in a déjà vu. It’s nothing to worry about.”**

“Okay…” Jaune said feeling slightly uncomfortable with how Ozpin just… Knew everything. Not only going on his mind, but also under every nook and cranny of Remnant.

**“I told you, Jaune. It’s not the first time. Plus, we have no time to waste. It’s imperative for us to meet Glynda as soon as possible before she makes contact with the others…”**

“Others?” Jaune questioned as he started walking into Beacon, fastening his backpack as he walked around as if he knew the entire school from the inside out by heart.

 **“I have made a number of contacts and friends over the years, Jaune.”** Ozpin explained. **“They are aware of my… Condition and we must reveal to them that, until we merge, you are my host. The sooner this information is relayed, the sooner we can continue our fight.”**

“Right…” Jaune said and he kept walking silently, while Ozpin seemingly hummed inside of his head until he saw himself in front of a door.

 **“It’s here.”** Ozpin confirmed. **“My old office. Please knock. We already kept Glynda waiting for too long, Jaune.”**

“It’s only a few hours.” Jaune replied.

**“Which is a few hours we can’t go back and retrieve, a few hours that our enemies might have used for their advantage.”**

Talk about paranoid.

**“Paranoia is a necessary trait. It helps keep us alive. You’ll understand in time.”**

Jaune merely groaned before knocking on the door, opening it after hearing an educated “please enter” from the other side.

After he opened the door, Jaune felt a mixture of different feelings swelling inside of him: awe, déjà vu, familiarity and the kind of homesickness that can only be healed when you enter a place you consider home. And he felt like that office was… Home.

It was round and spacious. There was a glass floor and a glass ceiling which allowed him to see the gears spinning in perfect harmony. Jaune walked in, looking around and recognizing all the little details. The windows. The desk. H-his. His desk. The way he could look at the students of Beacon from there, being a literal beacon of light to guide their path.

**“It’s… Great to be back.”**

“Yes.” Jaune said with a smile that he couldn’t say when exactly took over his face.

“Ozpin?” A voice that Jaune was already familiar with called, snapping him back into reality.

It was the same woman as yestarday and the best of the ten years she worked with h-- Ozpin. The same severe green eyes, blonde hair tied into a bun and squared glasses that gave her a strange, disciplinarian charm while also keeping her entirely professional.

“He… He’s kinda…” Jaune started saying before gulping down. “I-I’m Jaune. Jaune Arc. It’s, uh… It’s a pleasure to meet you personally, Glynda.”

“Pleasure’s mine.” Glynda Goodwitch replied. “I’m sorry Jaune, but could you allow me to talk to Ozpin? It won’t be long I swear.”

“O-oh, ok.” Jaune nodded before feeling like the wheel of his body was taken from him. It felt like entering a dream, one of those where you can’t control your body, but Jaune remained completely alert and able to see and hear everything.

“Glynda.” Jaune said, but it wasn’t him. If not the voice, the intonation was different, slightly changed, calmer, older, stronger.

“Your death was--”

“Yes, it was unexpected and unfortunate. To die so close to the start of the semester…” Ozpin sighed. “Luckily, my soul merged with Jaune’s, which means I have not lost too much time, and having you positioned as Headmistress is another victory for us as we are still in a strategic position within Beacon.”

“Yes. I have informed Qrow and Ironwood about you. Ironwood can’t come personally, but I heard he’ll send an… Envoy. Qrow, on the other hand, said he is going to come as soon as he possibly can.”

“Wait wait a minute.”Jaune ringed. “Qrow? Ironwood? Just who are those guys?”

“I told you, Jaune. I have a group meant for dealing with our enemies. Qrow and general Ironwood are part of it and they have been great allies for years.”

“General… Wait, is this that General Ironwood guy of Atlas? The guy who appears on TV every now and then to flaunt some gibberish about Atlas power or whatever?”

Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

“I’m honestly surprised, Jaune. I hadn’t expected you to be familiar with General Ironwood. However, you are correct, although I wouldn’t employ the term ‘gibberish’.”

“Ozpin…” Glynda waltzed in.

“Sorry.” The former headmaster replied. “I got lost for a second in a discussion with Jaune. Do we got news from Leonardo or Theodore?”

“Leonardo said he’ll be watchful. If they attacked you, the other headmasters might be the targets as well. From Theodore’s end…” Glynda sighed. “We didn’t get any response.”

“Theodore was always… Hard.” Ozpin agreed. “And this is unfortunate. Luckily, there won’t be any disruptances and, if my identity is kept as a secret for now…”

“Our enemies will waste time trying to find you.” Glynda completed the sentence. “Which gives us time for you to train your body and get ready for the next battles.”

“Exactly.” Ozpin smiled. “We have the edge now, and I feel that it’s best for us to make use of it.”

 _“Wait wait wait!”_ Jaune ringed. _“So… Are you telling me that we are going to be hunted?!”_

“Of course Jaune. We have powerful enemies. Enemies that want to destroy us. Being hunted is a natural part of such a cycle.”

_“You didn’t warn me about any of this!”_

“We had no time. In due time I’ll explain everything to you. Our greatest priority is to train you. I doubt we’ll achieve any results whatsoever before Initiation…”

_“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”_

“... But with my expertise we’ll be able to clear it with little to no problem.”

“And, now that we’re on Huntsmen topics, how about your Aura?” Glynda asked. “You’ll need it unlocked as soon as possible.”

“I was expecting you to do this for us if possible, Glynda.” Ozpin smiled politely.

The Headmistress sighed lightly before straightening herself, closing her eyes and hold Jaune’s shoulder.

“For it is in the future that we achieve immortality. Through the experience and hardship we become a beacon of hope to rise and guide those under us, infinite in reach and unbound by ignorance. I release thy soul and, by my shoulder, enlighten thee.”

Jaune felt something weird It was like his body was all rested up, like all of his energy reserves were full and beyond while a faint greenish-white glimmer engulfed him completely.

 _“W-wow…”_ He said. _“T-this… This feels amazing…”_

Ozpin chuckled. “I know. And, if you allow me to say, your Aura reserves are impressive, Jaune. Truly remarkable. I’m sure that, even without me, you would have grown to become a great huntsman on your own right.”

 _“O-oh…”_ Jaune said, feeling like he was blushing. Wait, was it even possible inside his own mind?! _“uhh… Thanks, Ozpin.”_

“You’re welcome.” Ozpin chuckled once again. “Now Glynda… Please. My cane.”

“Just a second…” Glynda said, turning her back to them and going to one of the cabinets before coming back with something enveloped in green cloth.

“Here.” The Headmistress said, giving the pack to Ozpin. “I held on to it… I planned to give it to Qrow so he could scout for you but… There was no need.”

“Thanks.” Ozpin said before removing the cloth. “It sure feels good to have it back.”

Jaune couldn’t agree more even if it didn’t seem impressive.

It was a silver handle with a mechanism similar to a doorknob. At the tip there were golden gears spinning lazily while the part he had his grip on had a floral motif. He could feel calmer while holding that. It was a weapon. It was his trusty weapon.

Ozpin pressed the mechanism and a black shaft emerged, with him holding The Long Memory as if it was nothing more than a perfectly common cane.

“Now, I believe that the best is to reserve a room for Jaune and his team’s future use.” Ozpin said. “Would you do that, Glynda?”

“Don’t worry.” Glynda nodded. “And you? What do you intend to do?”

Ozpin smiled.

“I plan on calling a few friends.”


	2. Potential Squandering

The following day came so fast Jaune could swear that there wasn’t a night for him to sleep after he spent the previous day sparring with Miss Goodwitch to improve. 

If the pain and sore muscles Jaune felt meant something, it surely was that he didn’t improve much, if at all.

**“Glynda is a harsh teacher, but she means well.”** Ozpin tried comforting him.  **“She is one of the greatest allies I could hope to have.”**

“She being a great ally doesn’t exactly do much to make my body stop hurting like a bitch.” Jaune replied, wincing as he got off his bed, in the designated room that he would share with his team after Initiation in the next morning.

Agh. Jaune forgot about Initiation.

**“It isn’t as bad as it may sound. I went through Initiation countless times and I’m sure we can make through it together, Jaune.”**

“I know, I know…” Jaune sighed. “I guess I’m a little under the weather today… Don’t mind me too much.”

**“It’s okay. We all have our bad days every now and then.”**

“Thanks.” Jaune replied with a little smile on his face. “I think I’ll go and see the newcomers…”

**“That’s a good idea, Jaune. Among the newcomers are your teammates… And, regardless, it’s always good to start new friendships. It’s part of the reason I created the team system and the Huntsmen Academies.”**

“Wait… You created WHAT?!”

**“Is the thought so surprising? I’ve been around Remnant for over a thousand years, Jaune. In this time I was king, beggar and everything in between. Creating the Huntsmen Academies were one of my first measures to make sure that another war would not happen.”**

“I… I somehow don’t feel surprised at all.” Jaune sighed. “And I don’t know if it’s because the sense of familiarity is bleeding into me or because my suspension of disbelief is even higher than the CCT.”

**“I’m surprised you still possess disbelief on you, Jaune.”**

“Well, it’s not easy to just believe anything a voice in your head claiming to be an immortal wizard says!” Jaune protested before sighing. “I’ll… I’ll go have a look at the others… I think that seeing other people will help my mood.”

Ozpin seemingly understood the cue and decided to remain silent as Jaune left his room.

\\-\

“T-this is Beacon.” The black haired girl said, nervously.

“Yeah.” The blonde besides her answered. “What? Cold feet, Rubes? Because my little sister is the greatest prodigy of our year having entered Beacon two years early?”

“Yaang…” The black-haired girl, Ruby, said as she began walking towards it. 

“Aww, they grow up so fast…” The blonde girl, Yang Xiao-Long, cleaned an imaginary tear. “Soon you’ll present your first boyfriend to me! And tell me how you held hands during lunch time and he asked you for a kiss and you denied because you thought that this is how people get babies!”

“Yaaang!” Ruby said, with her cheeks tinted in a dark shade of pink.

The blonde couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re too easy, Rubes.” 

Ruby pouted. “It’s because you’re such a meanie!”

Yang didn’t deny, but Ruby could feel when she bumped into someone and fell on her ass to the ground.

“Oh sorry”. The stranger said offering her a hand, which Ruby gladly accepted. “I didn’t see you… Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah…” Ruby replied. “And you? Are you hurt?”

“Hm? Me?” He asked before chuckling. “I’m okay. No need to worry about me.”

Ruby could now see properly the person she bumped into. He was tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes having bags, like he hadn’t slept for the last night. She could also see his weapon, which seemed to be a completely regular sword with its sheath. Not that she expected something amazing like her Crescent Rose. 

Not like a more amazing weapon would ever exist, of course. Crescent rose was the ultimate and most awesome and incredible weapon in all of Remnant, so of course there was no weapon that would come even close to rival the sheer awesomeness of her baby. 

No weapon. 

Ever. 

“Anyway, I’m Ruby! Ruby Rose.” She introduced herself. “And this is my older sister, Yang.”

“Hey.” Yang waved an arm. “So, what’s your name, o’ brave knight unsung in legend?”

“Jaune.” The blonde boy replied with a nigh-supernatural amount of tranquility. “Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue...” He seemed like he was going to say something else but was cut short. He sighed before smiling in an awkward manner.

“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said with a short chuckle while scratching his neck. Yang seemingly noticed something before she gave the smile Ruby called “Yang no”.

“Well… I think I saw my friends from Signal over there… So I guess I’ll leave you to our modern knight, who throttles to battle with breastplate and blue jeans…!”

“Yang!”   
  
The bombshell laughed. “Don’t worry Rubes. I’ll be back to you soon, okay?” She said before leaving Ruby with Jaune as she went to greet her friends.

“So…” Ruby started awkwardly, rubbing her knees together.

“You know… I noticed you looking at my weapon.” Jaune said, taking the lead. “I… uh… Can I see yours?”

Ruby’s silver eyes gleamed as she perked up, grabbing her beloved weapon so fast she might have used her Semblance. Jaune gulped as if he just noticed something really important, but Ruby was already busy with something far more important.

“Here!” She presented her baby, proudly. “It’s a high-caliber sniper rifle! And if I do this…” The girl said before activating a certain mechanism, that unfolded her weapon in all of its glory, with the blade of the scythe pointing downwards as Jaune gasped, which made Ruby stuff her chest in pride. 

Always the same reaction whenever someone saw how incredibly amazing and ultimately awesome Crescent Rose was. 

“Woah…” He said with a short laugh, looking definitely amused. “It’s sincerely incredible Ruby…”

“I know! I made her myself back there in Signal!” Ruby said lively. “And I know that there is no other weapon that is simply more awesome and incredible… But uh… Can I see yours…?”

“It’s okay”. Jaune chuckled before grabbing his sword and sheath. “You see,” he drew his sword. “You think this is just a sword… But, if you do this…” He kept saying and suddenly the sheath became a shield. “Here. It’s not much but at least it’s a reliable way to protect myself so… Yay…?”

Ruby couldn’t help but laugh at how awkwardly the last line was delivered. “W-well… I’m more of a new generation girl, but the classics are cool too! And you look even more of a knight with it, Jaune!” She reassured.

“Well, I may or may not have… Another option.” Jaune said in a secretive tone. The same tone Yang used to bait Ruby into doing boring things like homework when she said she’d take Ruby to cookies.

Lies, all of it!

The fact that Ruby herself fell for the trick every time is something to never be discussed.

Never. 

“And here goes…” Jaune said before he seemingly stopped on his tracks, like he hit an invisible wall. He sighed and groaned seemingly really annoyed. “Sorry Ruby. It’s… I guess it’s a surprise. Like you know in the games, when you get an item that you save for the last boss? Yeah, it’s that degree of surprise.”

“It’s okay Jaune.” Ruby smiled. She understood. She really did. Jaune must be really awesome if he really was saving up a second weapon!

Of course, no matter how many weapons one could hoard and use, it would never equate the awesomeness of Crescent Rose and Ruby was polite to not call on people on their mistake to not worship her baby as they shoul-- 

“Wait… What is that?” Jaune’s voice snapped Ruby out of her thoughts as another Bullhead was landing. “I thought all the students had already came…”

This Bullhead was different from the others, Ruby could say. Its color was mostly white (as opposed to the regular gray) and Ruby could identify a symbol: a stylized snowflake in a slightly darker, blue-ish shade of white, which for some reason made it perfectly visible no matter how much Ruby thought about how the contrast of white and white was just terrible. Like trying to eat cookies and milk but only drinking milk and more milk.

The doors of the Bullhead then opened and the two most…  _ regal-looking _ girls that Ruby had ever seen came out, in perfect synch as if they rehearsed that to perfection.

The first was the older one. She was very tall, with her weapon seemingly being a rapier. The amount of mechanisms suggested it could be mecha-shift and have some sort of Dust-powering system. Other than that, nothing noteworthy.

Her hair was pure white, with her pale skin and blue-grey eyes giving her a proud and sharp look, like an eagle. She seemed someone so royal,so regal, so  _ from the nobility _ that Ruby was sure she might have seen a picture of hers somewhere in the history classes she took in Patch. 

The second girl was very similar to the first, albeit far shorter. Her hair was also stunningly white, with her eyes possessing a glare of sorts that almost made Ruby flinch. On the plus side, she recognized the usefulness of the combat skirts and was cultured enough to wear one!

Her weapon seemed to be just like the taller girl’s, but different in slight details, like how, near the handle, there was a mechanism for inserting Dust, which hinted at possible ranged uses… Its slender shape was pretty neat too! Not as awesome or incredible as Crescent Rose (not that such a thing would be even remotely possible) but Ruby was humble enough to recognize it seemed… Passable as a weapon.

“That’s… The Schnee family logo…” Jaune said, squinting his eyes a bit. Not that Ruby could blame him. Who thought that using white and white was a good idea?

Red and black, that’s where her money was. 

“Uh Jaune… What is the Schnee family…?”

Jaune seemed to snap from something before turning to her. 

“They are from Atlas. The family is old and rich and they are the owners of the SDC, the biggest Dust supplier in all of Remnant.” He explained. The explanation felt a bit teachy, like the ones she’d read in the internet if she were to look for it… 

“I see…” Ruby said, with her hand in her chin, thoughtfully. “Well, anyway I hope we can be friends!”

“Well…” Jaune gave a short, awkward laugh. “My mother always said that strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.”

“So let’s meet these new friends!” Ruby said punching upwards, in a lively fashion before grabbing Jaune by the hand and taking him alongside her to greet the pale girl from the Sch-something family.

\\-\

**“It wasn’t that bad, Jaune…”**

“ _ Easy for you to say” _ Jaune said, peeved. “ _ I could barely utter a sentence that wasn’t awkward as hell when I was talking to Ruby!” _

__ **“You’ll get better in time, Jaune. Talking to people isn’t a talent, it’s a skill developed over time.”**

Jaune rolled his eyes. 

  
  


**“And I believe we have other subjects to focus on, Jaune.”**

Oh yeah, greeting the Schnee sisters. He didn’t know the first thing about the Schnee family, but it seemed like that piece of knowledge was ingrained into him due to the fusion. It’s not like that hadn’t already happened before: Jaune knew every nook and cranny of Beacon and could walk around the hallways even with his eyes closed. 

_ It seems that some kinds of knowledge are easier to absorb… Wonder what else I’ll learn this way… _

“-- and as I was saying we totally should become friends!” Ruby’s lively voice snapped Jaune out of his train of thoughts while the shorter girl scorned.

“Oh yes.” She said, with sarcasm dripping off her voice. “We would host sleepovers, pain our nails, trade clothes and talk all night about cute boys and do makeovers.”

“I’d rather talk about other things…” Ruby replied, not noticing the sarcasm. Jaune was fairly sure she’d rather talk about weapons rather than boys… 

“Although your offer is… Irrecusable, I fear I am declining. I’m sorry”, she added in a tone that almost yelled she wasn’t sorry at all.   
  


“Weiss.” The taller girl called. “You shouldn’t turn down an opportunity such as this. This is your first attempt at making friends in Vale. You should accept Mrs…”

“Rose! Ruby Rose!”

“Mrs Ruby Rose offer. At least stand by her and her friend during the headmistress speech, as they are familiar faces, and it’s always good to know someone especially in an ambient new as Vale.”

“B-but Winter…”

“No ‘buts’, Weiss.” Winter rebuffed. “Now I’ll have to go. I’ll be there alongside the Headmistress during her speech and we’ll have a reunion later. It’s nothing to worry about” She added when Weiss opened her mouth to argue, “It’ll be about some minor details regarding your enrollment to Beacon. It seems like General Ironwood expected you to attend Atlas and had preparations ready, but…”

“I… I understand, Winter.” Weiss nodded. “I’ll be there and I’ll make you proud. I’ll be on my best behavior, as fitting of a Schnee!”

Winter gave a short and maternal smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, Weiss. Now I’ll be on my way. I’ll do my best to see you after the reunion.”

“I’ll be waiting for you, Winter.” Weiss said with a smile.

Winter gave one more short smile before regaining her composure and neutral expression before heading inside.

It was Ruby who cut the silence.

“Well… That was awkward.”

Weiss snickered.

“Well, who are you to say?” She rolled her eyes. “I have never seen Winter so politely feigning interest outside of the board meetings at the SDC!”

“But she just told you to at least give us a chance…” Ruby replied.

“No. She asked me to stay with you for a couple minutes because she’s worried about my well-being in a new environment.” Weiss replied. “So I’ll humor you. I warn you to be honored, because my time is valuable. Now let’s head for the auditorium. The speech is about to begin.”

Jaune grimaced.  _ What a bitch… _

**“I’m sure she has her reasons to act like this, Jaune. That and her upbringing must have been harsh. Do not judge so quickly. People are multifaceted and I’m sure in time Miss Schnee will show a side to her that will change completely how you see her.”**

“Please shut up.” Jaune hissed in a low voice.

“Hm? Did you say something, Jaune?” Ruby asked as they walked to the auditorium, with Jaune leading the way while Ruby tried to engage in a conversation with Weiss.

“Oh, it’s nothing… I was just thinking about something else… It’s nothing to worry, really.” He replied to the small girl with the red hood. “It’s okay, Ruby.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach the auditorium, with Jaune experiencing the sensation of knowing the amphiteater intimately while having never seen it in his entire life.

_ This _ life at least.

It wasn’t exactly full, but Jaune could see some students starting to crowd the cramped space normally used for smaller speeches. That was the reason why the bleachers were empty even though it would have been far easier if the students could simply occupy them.

**“I admit some… Traditions aren’t exactly what should be kept after all those years. Unfortunately, I can’t convince the Council of Vale to allow changes in certain rules that aren’t practical anymore, but were when I wrote them. Then again, it’s career politicians keeping traditions because change scares them as it may signify changing them from wealthy politicians to civilians… A tale even older than me.”**

_ “It could be worse. _ ” Jaune replied.  _ “They could have nominated a headmaster that you couldn’t trust… Or that happened to be just a puppet. At least we know Glynda is trustworthy. _ ”

**“You are right, Jaune. And it’s no use to spend time worrying about minor details outside of our control. Now let’s focus on Glynda’s speech. I’m sure that you’ll find her words... Interesting, in a manner of speech.”**

Jaune nodded before turning his attention to the Headmistress that just now began speaking. He could also see the woman in white from before, Winter, looking at them as if evaluating them, like a commander would do with their troops before entering a war. 

“First of all, I would like to wish all of you a good morning and a good travel for those who came from afar.” Glynda Goodwitch, the headmistress of Beacon, started, with her green eyes scanning severely through the crowd. “It is a pleasure to see the new applicants for Beacon… I’d like to open saying that I hope all of you will become wonderful Huntsmen in the future. However, in Beacon, there are certain procedures you must go through. We do not wish to undermine your hard work by any means possible, however, I know what I see.”

Her green eyes seemed to gleam through her glasses as she skimmed through the class. Jaune couldn’t help but instinctively gulp. Ozpin couldn’t help but laugh, the cheeky bastard. 

“I see energy. I see potential.” She said. “However, every dead man, woman and child scattered across the mountains of Atlas were all people with potential to reach the summit. My point is, if all you possess is potential and you do nothing with it, then you’re wasting it. And wasted potential is worse than no potential, for I would rather teach a student with no talent nor ability from scratch than a talented one that actively wastes whatever they can do.”

Pause. Jaune could feel Weiss becoming a little tense next to him.

“In Beacon we will hone your knowledge to new heights. We will improve your skills until they can be said to be peerless. And then you will be able to hunt Grimm, protect people or offer your knowledge for those willing to learn from you. However, this is just potential energy. If you want this to have any worth whatsoever, then you need to act. The first move must be yours. You can be anything, but if you fail to act, then what is the point? In order to be anything and everything you wish… You all must take the first step.”

Pause. 

“And, for those who are willing to take this first step, allow me to say: ‘Welcome to Beacon.’”

The applause was nothing short of thunderous. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I see in the fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential and I see squandering."
> 
> (Chuck Palahniuk - "Fight Club")


	3. Love & HUmor

It didn't take long for night to settle in. Ruby still felt her head spin with how fast everything went. The amount of things that happened in the day after the Headmistress speech felt almost mind-numbing, so much that Ruby could only feel glad that it was already time for sleep.

"Hrnnnn…" Ruby groaned, already wearing her pajamas. "I didn't think that a complete tour through all of Beacon Academy could be so boring Yang…"

"You tell me." Yang replied, right at her sister's side, laying atop her sleeping bag. Seemingly all of the students had to sleep at Beacon's main hall so things would be easier when they called everyone for Initiation tomorrow morning.

"Oh yeah Yang… Have you seen Jaune around?" Ruby asked.

"Hm… Now that I think…" Yang said scratching her chin. "I think Miss Goodwitch called him to her office…"

Ruby could feel her heart skipping a beat.

"Oh no Yang! What if he's in trouble?!"

"Come on Rubes." Yang rolled her eyes. "What could have he done to enter trouble before the first day of classes?" She raised an eyebrow. "Plus, he stayed by our side the entire day! We would have seen if he did something wrong."

"Y-yeah… I think you're right." Ruby nodded and then she (and nearly everyone else present) could see him coming.

Ruby's jaw dropped. Yang sniggered.

"Seems like he was in trouble after all. No way in hell the fashion police wouldn't have arrested him after that."

Jaune seemed to be burnout, the kind of burnout that comes after a particularly long and tiresome lecture. Ruby knew the feeling, she had her fair number of lectures mostly involving her, the cookie jar and using Semblances to get cookies before lunch.

However the most notable thing about him was that… He was wearing a onesie. A baby-blue onesie. With a stylized rabbit-head on front that Ruby was nearly sure was related to some cereal brand.

Ruby heard some students laughing, others whistling and some more cracking a joke here and there but Jaune was clearly too tired to care, given how he just went to a sleeping bag near hers and Yang's and just covered himself before he started snoring.

"Sheesh." Yang grimaced. "Just what the hell did he do to get a scolding so heavy he just fell asleep?!"

"Miss Goodwitch is scarier than she seems…" Ruby said with a slight nod.

"Serves him right." A familiar voice was heard and Ruby and yang could both see her. Weiss. With her white hair now loose and she wearing a blue nightgown with… Wait, was that her family symbol? Who in Remnant wears a nightgown with the family symbol imprinted on it? It's so obnoxious!

"I don't know what he might have done, but I'm sure that it was completely deserved." Weiss Schnee said in an imperial tone. "I doubt the Headmistress would commit a mistake such as rewarding improper behavior."

"Even if he did something bad, this isn't normal!" Ruby replied. "And it isn't fair! We aren't even students properly and telling him off that way isn't something good!"

"How can you say?" Weiss narrowed her eyes. "There are punishments for those who go against the rules. It's the basis for our society!"

"But in this it was too much!" Ruby said. "Look at him! He fell asleep as soon as he got here! How can you think this is fair, Weiss?!"

"Because Miss Goodwitch is a harsh but fair teacher, as anyone with eyes can see." Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Hey hey…" Yang said, finally entering the discussion. "Rubes, I'm sure Jaune is tired for another reason altogether, so let's not jump on the bandwagon of hating Miss Goodwitch before we even get into beacon okay?"

Ruby groaned a little.

"And you…" Yang said turning to Weiss. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." The heiress said, with her eyes glaring at Yang, that didn't seem intimidated one little bit by her.

"Wow." Yang snarled. "So being from a rich family gives you the right to treat people like trash?"

"No." Weiss replied. "I just happen to have this little thing you may find lacking." She narrowed her eyes. "May things in fact. A fully functional brain, class, standards… Pick your poison. You seem to have opened hand of those things in exchange for what? More gazes from men?"

Yang closed her fists. "At least I'm not a bitch!"

"Would you please keep it down?" a new voice said. "You're starting to get attention. The wrong kind."

Ruby looked at the new girl.

She seemed mysterious, with her yellow eyes that seemed to say something about her but just not enough. Her face was perfectly heart-shaped her black long hair ran down over her body, in what seemed like a perfect match for her choice of pajamas: a black kimono that didn't cover her long, elegant legs. That wasn't fair! Ruby wanted to have a body like that too!

The only thing out of place was her bow, which seemed a bit too old-fashioned for Ruby, but that only increased her mysterious aura.

"There are people looking at you, which I don't think it's a good thing." The bow-wearing girl said, as she turned another page on her book. "That and I'd like to read in peace. I don't like being looked at by the others… Specially when I'm not even the source of the problem."

Weiss bit her lip. Indeed they were causing a scene, there were many eyes fixed on them and that could have terrible repercussions for her in the future… Ruby could feel her cheeks burning as they undoubtedly turned to a shade of pink.

Yang, on the other hand, seemed like she did not care. She was used to having people looking at her. The boys (and some girls) in Signal did that all the time. But even she didn't seem wanting to give them more of a spectacle than what she'd already given.

"Come, Ruby." Yang said narrowing her eyes, which Ruby noticed, with a hint of panic, were turning red before reverting to the usual lilac as her sister grabbed her by the shoulder. "We'll sleep in other part… A part that isn't so bitchy…"

"B-but what about Jaune?" Ruby managed to mumble.

"We'll have to wake up early, anyway. If we move him, he might wake up. Let him get some sleep."

"O-okay then." Ruby gulped as she grabbed her sleeping bag and went alongside her sister, whispering an apology to Jaune, that kept snoring lightly, in a sound that seemed strangely reassuring to her.

\\-\

Jaune woke up when an alarm blared, snapping him out of a dream he couldn't remember for the life of his, but seemed important and involved him and a Beowolf fighting in Weiss' house (he didn't know how her house was like, but knew it was hers) until she came and scolded them both, with the two going to fight at the garden. The dream ended while Jaune was beating the Beowolf with his shield.

Dreams always end right in the best part.

He sat, struggling to properly open his eyes, looking for signals of either Ruby or Yang, but not seeing any. Weird. He could swear that he fell asleep next to them…

"We were both tired, Jaune." Ozpin chimed. "I'll admit, I also had that first impression, but it seems like we were mistaken."

"In any case, it's best for us to go looking for them." Jaune replied. "I don't want to be left alongside a mountain of people I don't know nothing about."

"A wise choice." Ozpin agreed. However, when Jaune tried to get up, he found out that he couldn't because something was dragging the sleeve of his onesie.

It wasn't something, he noticed. It was someone. However, the realization came a little bit too late, when his sleeve was dragged with a surprising degree of strength, which forced him to go down.

"I fear… That this isn't going to turn out good."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Jaune winced as he saw the sleeping face of Weiss Schnee very close to his own.

Her snow white hair fell freely, with some bangs falling cutely on her forehead and her face. Her breathing was deep and slow and she now hugged Jaune's arm like she wouldn't let him go. That, in turn, let his elbow near the center of her chest, where he could feel, through the delicate fabric of her nightgown, her b-

No! Bad Jaune! Bad!

Weiss let out the little moans that made clear she was going to wake up soon.

Jaune felt his heart beating faster. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…

His salvation came in the form of a girl wearing a bow with the most neutral expression he had ever seen in the entirety of Remnant.

"It's time for Breakfast. Initiation will start right after." She said as she touched Weiss lightly with the sole of her boot.

This prompted Weiss to wake up. Her pale blue eyes first skimmed in confusion and Jaune calculated a grand total of two seconds before her confusion turned to anger. And Jaune surely wouldn't want to be close to her when that happened. So he got out of her grip and managed to get five steps away from her before Weiss got up. And she really seemed far taller than her 4'11'' would have suggested.

"Just… Just where the hell do you think you're headed to?!"

"I… uh… I'm gonna change for breakfast…?"

Seemingly that was the wrong answer.

"Oh no! You can't do what you did to me and act like nothing never happened!"

Jaune could feel the gazes burning. Oh gods no, I haven't even entered Beacon yet and I already started the rumormill…

"Don't worry Jaune, it's not as serious as it may seem…" Ozpin tried consoling him.

"Weiss… Nothing happened… You were the one who dragged me…"

"So you're blaming me? Because you were the one with your hands so close to my body while I was asleep…"

"Jaune… I fear we don't have time for this squabble… May I take control just to finish this?"

"Please." Jaune asked. "I might say some unpleasant things to her if we continue like this."

"Very well." Ozpin said before taking control, with Jaune feeling like he lost control over his body again…

"Because you were the one who dragged me while I was asleep, M- Weiss." Ozpin said to her. She seemed to notice the slight alteration on his voice, as well as to how much calmer he now seemed to be.

"Why, I didn't think you'd be so hopelessly in love with me." He chuckled. Weiss became even paler than she already was. "You could have just confessed your feelings to me. But, I don't think I can properly accept them, we barely know each other…"

"I… I…" Weiss stuttered, with her brain trying to think of a way around that conundrum.

"We can talk about our feelings later, okay?" Ozpin smiled in a sassy way. "Now I think I'll go eat something. See you in Initiation…" Ozpin said as he went for Jaune's clothes, grabbing them, turning to Weiss when he was already at the door and whispering, the kind of whisper that everyone in the room can hear.

"Snow Angel."

Jaune would feel fear for himself given how Weiss glared at him if he wasn't so busy laughing his ass off.

\\-\

Breakfast was almost frugal at the cafeteria. While Ozpin didn't tell him what Initiation was going to be about, he did recommend Jaune to not eat much and would refuse to tell more, which made Jaune roll his eyes. Probably that knowledge was being actively withheld from him, which was unfair.

It was important for his formation as a Huntsman!

"Jaune, we both know this argument isn't going to help your case. Plus, if I said it to you, then you'd tell to Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long. And they would ask you how did you find out about this and we both know you'd only entangle yourself further and further with lies and more lies, which would lead to some terrible problems, the least of which are a very severe scolding for both of us. Me for helping you in what essentially counts as cheating. And you for accepting that help."

Jaune didn't have a reply. Fair enough.

"Don't worry, Jaune. If needed be, I'll lend you my strength. However, I'm sure it won't come down to it."

"I sure hope so." Jaune replied. "I mean… I'm not at my best form right now…"

"Jaune?" A familiar voice called him. "What, are you talking alone now?"

"Hey Ruby." He greeted with a chuckle when the black-haired girl entered his line of sight. "I was just daydreaming a bit… It happens every now and then."

"Oh look if it isn't our womanizer…" Yang's voice teased before the bombshell herself appeared. "Did you know that you might have set up a record?"

"Did I?" Jaune asked, confused.

"Oh yeah." Yang licked her lips. "The first rumor of the year, even before breakfast!" She laughed. "How a tall, blonde and scraggly knight-"

"Hey!"

"- stole the frozen heart of the Ice Queen!" Yang wiped a fake tear. "It's so beautiful… I'd watch this movie."

"I was just trying to find a way to get out of that mess!" Jaune defended himself.

"If you say so, Don Juan…" Yang laughed.

"Don't mind her, Jaune." Ruby sighed. "She just found her new pet joke and won't let it go…"

"How do you-"

"Fifteen years, Jaune." Ruby said before her eyes became weirdly vacant. "I know Yang my entire life… I have seen hell… And it's filled with bad puns."

"Ruby!" Yang asked dramatically, with one of her hands in her chest like she was betrayed. "How could you tarnish my good name?!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "If you have a good name, it won't be good for long if you keep making your puns…"

"Ruby!"

Jaune was laughing at the exchanges. He could feel Ozpin chuckling inside him as well. It was too familiar. He would also tease and joke around with his sisters the same way.

Speaking of which, I should call home… They should be dead worried about me… But then again I have a whole lot to explain.

"Call them after Initiation, Jaune." Ozpin advised. "It'll be better, trust me. There will be a lot to explain, but the longer you delay, the worse it'll be."

"I'll… I'll think about it. Later." Jaune replied before a severe and all too familiar voice ringed through the intercom, being easily heard through all of Beacon.

"All first-year Beacon Students, please rendezvous at Beacon Cliff. Repeating, all first-years come to the Cliff. Initiation is about to begin." The stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch announced.

Jaune chuckled while looking at the sisters beside him, who were already getting ready. He didn't waste any time too, having taken Crocea Mors and The Long Memory before breakfast… And, following Ozpin's advice, he now wore the sheath on his left arm, with the handle of the sword pointing upwards. This way he could draw more easily, wouldn't waste time drawing the sheath to use the shield form, and would have his second hand free in case he had to dual wield against an enemy.

Jaune watched a lost of Mistrallian cartoons, mostly the ones that aired Saturday morning. Seeing the protagonist dual wield was always one of the utmost forms of cool and even seeing Huntsmen with two weapons was awesome on its own right but he felt something cold on his stomach with the thought.

"Don't worry." Ozpin's voice said, in an effort to calm him. "My experience will bleed into you with time, Jaune. But, if we face a strong enemy, I will take control and make sure we can retreat from the battle as soon as possible."

"Retreat?" Jaune asked, confused.

"We aren't in our prime state. Your body needs training-" Jaune groaned. "- and we aren't one yet. In due time we will merge completely, but until then we must strive to improve ourselves beyond our limits so we can be ready for this day."

"I… I see…" Jaune replied. Before Ozpin could add anything else, however, he could hear Ruby's voice, already next to the exit of the cafeteria.

"JAUNE!" She called. "DAYDREAMING AGAIN? COME ON, WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR INITIATION!"

"JUST A SEC RUBY!" Jaune responded before finally going after the duo that now awaited him.

And together, the trio left.

\\-\

"Finally, you are all here." The headmistress said, with her severe green eyes almost piercing the souls of every student present. "First of all, good morning." She greeted. "For years, you have honed your skills. Developed techniques. Created strategies and found ways to fight. Today, you'll put all of this to test."

She paused briefly.

"This is the Emerald Forest. There, you will put all of your capabilities to test. All the skills you developed, strategies to hone… Today is the day where everything will be put to test. You can say that you'll truly feel what awaits you, as both Beacon students and Huntsmen."

Her eyes skimmed through the students, each one in pads…

"There are also rumors as to how teams and teammates are assigned…" Her nose pinched a bit, which showed what she thought of such rumors. "None of them are true, I'll say in advance. Regarding who'll partner with who, the first person to lock eyes with yours will be your partner."

Some students started protesting but Miss Goodwitch wasn't going to allow it.

"Silence!" She said, and the protests died. "We encourage you to find someone whom you'll have a good relationship as it'll improve the team's overall teamwork and cohesion. But, if you find someone harder to work with, take that as a lesson and as a means to improve. Not all Huntsmen are easy to interact and this is another lesson you'll have to take for your lives."

Her severe green eyes seemed to lighten a bit. "Regarding the Initiation per se, it's actually fairly simple. There is an ancient temple near the northern part of the forest. There, we, the teachers, prepared a number of relics. Your duty is to reach the temple and retrieve the one relic per duo."

There were students muttering it was going to be too easy if that was it, but the headmistress wasn't going to let this go right over to their heads.

"Do not think that 'simple' is synonymous with 'easy'. You are bound to find opposition inside the forest." The mutterings were shot down instantly. "And do not hesitate. This is probably the first experience all of you ever had with what it means to be a true Huntsman. In our line of duty, we cannot hesitate, for hesitation might mean the deaths of an entire village, or maybe even more. So don't, because, while we make sure everything runs smoothly, hesitation means death."

"Any questions?" The headmistress asked at the end of her speech. There were none.

"Great." She said closing her eyes briefly. "I hope to see all of you in one piece at the end of Initiation. Now, if you allow me the words… Good luck."

Everyone got the words that weren't said. Good luck… Because you'll need it.

However before anyone could complain or protest, the pads were activated, and all of the first-years were springboarded right into the Emerald Forest.

\\-\

"This is actually better than I thought…" Glynda muttered to herself, but she was seemingly heard by someone. Someone with bright green hair using a yellow tie.

"So miss Goodwitch, did you enjoy throwing our students right into the Forest?" The man, profe- Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck asked.

"Yes Bart." Glynda nodded.

"Are you going to tell Ozpin?"

Glynda chuckled. "I'd rather let Port design the Initiation than admitting that Ozpin was right in that regard."

The two shared a laugh as they watched the students fall into the forest.

\\-\

Jaune looked around almost helplessly. He saw with the corner of his eye the bow girl throwing her weapon and grabbing some sort of chord to anchor herself and land. Yang was shooting bullets from her gauntlets to propel herself in the air, while Ruby was doing the same but with Crescent Rose.

Am I the only one without a cool ranged weapon? This isn't fair!

Ozpin chuckled. "Jaune, I prepared this because I knew everyone had their own landing strategies. And which sort of Huntsman would I be if I didn't have my own?"

"So use it!" Jaune said while seeing the forest getting closer and closer… And he didn't like the way he was speeding.

Oh great, he was going to turn into a puddle of blood and fat right into Initiation… Glorious! Simply glorious! And be the voice inside someone's head for as long as they live! Amazing! Surely that was what his parents planned for him when he was born!

Ozpin did the mental equivalent of sighing. "Please, let me." The former-headmaster said before getting The Long Memory and using the mechanism that made the shaft emerge.

"Ozpin, I'm not exactly sure about how our cane is going to help us now…"

"Watch." Ozpin said in a tone Jaune swore was pure smug before he took over and Jaune experienced. He knew it was him and what it was and knew what was done.

He saw himself protected by a greenish force-field, that went unscathed by the trees, being kept by the power of his Aura. However the force field wasn't a Semblance.

It was magic.

It didn't take long before they finished landing, with Ozpin delivering control to Jaune after they were safely on earth, with Jaune retreating the shaft of The Long Memory into its handle and putting it inside his clothes, where he could draw safely while keeping it hidden from public view.

However, the sense of elation after having performed magic was cut short when a very familiar voice called. "JAUNE? JAAAAUNE?!"

He couldn't help but chuckle and, guided by the way she screamed, soon reached the figure of Ruby Rose, whose scythe was stuck in a branch of a tree, with Ruby herself holding its shaft like her life depended on it.

"Hey." He chuckled. "So, want some help, partner?"

"I sure do, partner!" She chuckled back.

\\-\

"I can't believe this!"

"You tell me."

"I will ask Miss Goodwitch for a new partner!" Weiss protested. "There's no way in the Remnant I'm gonna be partnered with you for the next four years!"

"And I'll support you, because I don't want to deal with your stuck-up ass for the next four years!" Yang Xiao Long snarled.

"At the very least… You're not that despicable… That despicable man!" Weiss snarled. "That is a very small plus on my book."

"Oh." Yang said raising her eyebrows. "So… You don't want to spend time with your boyfriend? I'd be careful you know… Who knows if he ends up breaking up with you?"

"He isn't my boyfriend!" Weiss growled. "I wouldn't date him even if he happened to be the last man in Remnant!"

"Cut the act, Ice Queen." Yang said smugly. "We all know you just want to keep your relationship a secret. Plus, everyone knows that by now…"

"They… what?"

"Oh yeah." Yang grinned like a shark facing its prey. "Stories of how you met and the true nature of your feelings are found a lien a dozen. My favourite is how he saved you from a pack of Beowolves…"

"Stop!" Weiss ordered. "Stop it!" The heiress said closing her hands into fists. "That is nothing but lies and fabrications! I'm sure no one truly believes that crap!"

"You'd be amazed at what people do believe…" Yang said, with her smug aura still active. Weiss's eyes widened, like she remembered something.

"O-oh no… I… I must salvage my reputation! I can't allow that dolt to ruin it before the year even starts!"

"Sincerely, that was a genius move." Yang rubbed salt in the wound, like an expert torturer. "Putting your feelings up on display and selflessly denying them for the sake of duty… You'd be amazed at the reputation that little stunt built for Jaune… And for you… Snow Angel."

Weiss stopped right on her tracks. She turned slowly to Yang.

"Did… Did you just called me… Snow Angel…?"

"Yes." The bombshell said, crossing her arms. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"I dare you."

"What?"

"I dare… I dare you calling me 'Snow Angel' again." Weiss said… As she readied her rapier and pointed it to Yang, who just laughed as she readied Ember Celica.

"Come with everything you've got… Snow Angel."

\\-\

"I told you!" An orange haired girl hanging upside down in the branch of a tree said. "I knew you knew how to imitate the sound of a sloth!"

"Nora?" Her partner, an asian-looking young men with black hair, a pink hairlock and pink eyes dressed in green, black and white said.

"What Renny?" His partner, Nora, asked.

"I told you sloths don't do much sounds."

"And this is why our plan worked!" Nora laughed. "Boop!" She laughed again while pinching the bridge of his nose.

\\-\

"So… Your name is Blake, right?"

"Yeah." The bow-wearing girl said in an almost bored tone.

"I'm Pyrrha… I hope we can be friends!"

"Yes, I know." Blake nodded. Pyrrha felt her heart sunking. Although it wasn't as bad as Mistral, she kinda was disappointed people in Vale also recognized her face easily. She had hopes of Beacon being a clean slate… Being partnered with someone who wouldn't know of her fame was the greatest dream she had. But now, that she was partnered with Blake…

Not that she would complain, of course. Blake seemed to be alright. It's just that… She felt a little sad that she was going to be the "Invincible Girl" even at Beacon.

All I wanted was a chance to start anew…

"Wait." Blake said halting their advance. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Pyrrha asked.

"The howls." Blake narrowed her eyes. "It seems like a pack of Beowolves…"

"Any idea on how many?" Pyrrha asked as she readied Miló on its spear form.

"Don't know. It's best if we try to circumvent them…" Blake suggested, which got a nod from Pyrrha.

"Please lead the way." The Invincible Girl asked while Blake merely nodded and they steered away from the Grimm.

\\-\

"So, you think it's here?" Ruby asked to Jaune as they now saw a cave, too dark to distinguish their contents from the inside.

"Beats me." Jaune said scratching the side of his head. "Wanna try entering? We can always back down if it isn't…"

"After you partner!" Ruby said cheerfully while Jaune got a branch, a couple stones and managed to improvise a torch.

"Ooh!" Ruby said with her eyes widening. "How did you know to do that, Jaune?!"

"Camping." Jaune chuckled. "My family travelled a lot in our vacations… And I even got to be member of the Boy Scouts at out village once! So I learnt these little things. Glad to see they are being useful now."

"Now onwards, fearless partner!" Ruby said. "Towards the unknown that inhabits this cave!"

"I hope the unknown is just the Relics…" Jaune said as he entered.

The cave was spacious, which was clear from the amount of air inside of it, with Ruby and Jaune advancing slowly as they looked around for the relics…

"Hey Jaune! Do you think this stone is the relic?"

"Eh… I don't know…" Jaune replied. "I think we'll know what the relics are when we see them…"

"Okay then. So forward! March!"

They both went deeper and deeper, with the light from the outside eventually fading before dying.

"Jaune, do you think there might be an air entrance somewhere above us?"

"Probably." Jaune replied. "That might be the reason why the fire hadn't died out and why the air isn't getting thinner by the minute…"

As they walked, the light of the torch illuminated… Something. It seemed to be big and wide and Jaune felt curious. Ozpin's voice was silent on his head, which could or could not be a good signal. He decided to go with "good".

"Hey Ruby, do you think that this is the reli-"

Jaune touched the thing and he knew it wasn't the relic when eight red eyes opened, and all of them screamed "murder".

\\-\

"Hm?"

"What happened, Renny?"

"I thought I heard something… It seemed like… The terrified screech of a 10-year-old girl…"

"Eh, must be nothing. Now let's continue for the ruins!"

Ren could argue. He swore he just heard the scream… But Nora was Nora and he learned a valuable lesson over the years: you don't argue with Nora Valkyrie.

So he merely shrugged as they continued their path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes what truly saves us isn't love, it's humor."
> 
> (Érico Veríssimo)

**Author's Note:**

> "I have no name  
> I am but two days old.—  
> What shall I call thee?  
> I happy am  
> Joy is my name,—  
> Sweet joy befall thee!
> 
> Pretty joy!  
> Sweet joy but two days old,  
> Sweet joy I call thee;  
> Thou dost smile.  
> I sing the while  
> Sweet joy befall thee."
> 
> (William Blake - "Infant Joy")


End file.
